DCHA Welcomes a New Member of the Capital Programs Team

The District of Columbia Housing Authority has a new man heading up major redevelopment projects for the Office of Capital Programs.

David Harris Brown has joined the team as a Development Project Manager and will be overseeing the development of DCHA properties in the mixed-income, mixed-finance residential communities, such as the redevelopment of DCHA’s headquarters at 1133 North Capitol Street, N.E. and Greenleaf Gardens.

“I like the concept of walking through a neighborhood and seeing how assets can be redeveloped to create value for the community, including low-income families, DCHA, the District of Columbia, and our private development partners. The District has seen such incredible growth over the last few years; many of DCHA’s assets that were built decades ago are surrounded by communities that are swelling to capacity, creating enormous redevelopment opportunities for DCHA and our customers. 1133 North Capitol, a 2.43-acre site in NoMA, and Greenleaf Gardens, a 15-acre site in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood, are both great examples of this trend. The NoMA District and the Southwest Waterfront area are two of the fastest growing and land constrained neighborhoods in the city. Redeveloping our assets there, through public-private partnerships, unlocks incredible value.”

“Working at DCHA is particularly interesting to me because of the mission to deliver high-quality affordable housing to low-income families,” said Brown, who has spent the last few years working in infrastructure consulting, focused on real estate and renewable energy at Booz Allen Hamilton and Navigant. “DCHA’s mission, that contribution to the community is so much broader then just developing real estate. This work really impacts people’s lives.”

Brown comes from a diverse background focused on infrastructure development, including commercial real estate and large scale renewable energy projects. He has also worked as a project developer for two mid-Atlantic based commercial and utility scale solar power project developers. He began his career at Boston Properties in their asset management group for their New York portfolio and at Gemini Realty Advisors providing consulting services for clients with national real estate holdings.

“Solar power is great because it has such a positive environmental impact and delivers power at a lower cost than fossil fuels; however housing is a fundamental need. I firmly believe with a stable house, where it is understood that access to shelter on a regular basis is available, low-income families can use that foundation to make much more positive things happen in their lives and it is exciting to be a part of that” he said.

In his new role, Brown said he knows leveraging his experience in the private sector will provide significant value to DCHA, and its customers, by driving redevelopment projects forward.

“I have the ability to understand what [the private sector] can and can’t do,” Brown said. “My background allows me to structure the most favorable transactions possible for all stakeholders involved. And I can ensure that DCHA captures the true value of our assets to fund the mission of this organization”

Brown, a Philadelphia native, has an MBA from Georgetown and a MS from NYU in Real Estate Development and Finance. He has lived in the D.C. area for 10 years, and prior to that lived in New York City for eight years. For fun he loves exploring all of the diverse neighborhoods in D.C. He is an avid cyclist, runner, indoor rock climber, yogi, and also learning to cook.